in this dialogue, it's so human. >> reporter: the prosecutor, jack campbell, had never heard of restorative justice. because of the unusual circumstances, decided to try it. the families wanted no more than 15 years for connor. campbell offered 20. far less than in similar cases. >> the gromeres found this process through their faith and experience to be cathartic, helpful in their heal iing. this may be one way to help a parent but it's certainly not a fix-all tool. >> reporter: two families trying to come to grips s with a devastating tragedy through forgiveness. mark potter, nbc news, miami. >> along with connor's parents, mike and julie mcbride, joining us from florida. this is about radical forgiveness. to be clear, you came to this not after some long passage of time, but in those excruciating moments when your daughter was on life support. what happened? how is it that you decided to forgive? >> well, it's a process for that week. i went through and, you know, i felt like my daughter was asking me to forgive connor and i just told her i couldn't and there was no way that i could. at the end